The Matthew Shadley Band has released its fourth album. The new album, Emerald, features nine original songs and one cover song. It is the first full-length release since 2008.
The album features the work of multi-instrumentalist and band founder, Matthew Shadley Brauer, as well as several well-known session musicians. The drumming of Kenny Aronoff, Norm Garschke, and Luke Oswald provide a solid groove for Brauer’s bass and guitar work. Percussion by Anthony Rich and keyboards by Jason Peter and Stefan Olofsson augment the vocal work of Brauer with a little help from Chris Rowell and Matt’s daughter Maggie handling some of the backing vocals.
With an ever-present 1970s classic rock vibe, the songs contain recurring themes of fantasy vs reality, the "Emerald Triangle" and Brauer’s unique observations of human nature. While it is a more ambitious project, it remains consistent with the band’s previous releases Five Easy Pieces (2004), Underneath the Red Light (2005), and Summer Stone (2008). The music has drawn comparisons to bands as wide-ranging as Buffalo Springfield, the Black Crowes, Traffic, and the Mother Hips.
The album is distributed through CD Baby and can be found on multiple streaming sites including Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon, YouTube, iHeart Radio, and Deezer. Compact discs will be available for sale at www.matthewshadleyband.com. For inquiries, email admin@matthewshadleyband.com.
